Ducks Agidel is a favorite breed of Russian breeders, often used for breeding. At the exit, you can get a carcass weighing 3 kg or more, 250 eggs from one layer. Poultry is economical in maintenance, unpretentious in nutrition and care, is characterized by high productivity and hearty meat.
History of the breed
Agidel duck was bred on the territory of Russia as a result of selection of 3 breeds - Blagovarskaya, Super M and Indian runners. The first broiler-type hybrid appeared in 2000 in the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
Blagovarskaya duck
Duck of breed "Super M"
Ducks "Indian Runners"
Duck Agidel
Two Agidel breeds appeared immediately - A34, A345, which differed in terms of productivity. The main goal of breeders is high meat productivity with low fat content. The experiments of domestic breeders continued in the twenty-first century.
Agidel duck characteristics
These snow-white birds majestically walk around the infield, attract attention with their impressive appearance and balanced character. This egg and meat breed is often used for mass breeding, because it is unpretentious in nutrition, it provides healthy meat and eggs.
Agidel ducks provide high meat performance, and a snow-white feather is used in light industry for heaters. Poultry do not cause problems on the farm, they have a well-developed instinct for self-preservation, an easygoing character.
Breed description
Representatives of this breed have 2 important indicators - white feathers and fast weight gain. Drake at 6 weeks weighs 3.2 kg, duck - up to 3 kg. The weight of adult broilers varies from 3.5 to 5 kg. In addition to meat, the duck provides up to 250 large eggs, which also become an additional source of income for breeders.
Duck Agidel has 2 crosses - A34, A345. One breed is egg-bearing, the second is more meat. When breeding poultry, this is the determining criterion for most breeders. More demanded meat duck Agidel.
The body structure of ducks
The bird has a large head, a wide beak of pink color and highly set dark eyes. The neck is massive and elongated, descends to the chest protruding forward. The back is wide and long, the body has a horizontal direction.
Paws shortened and massive, have a light orange color. The bird stands confidently on its feet, moves through the compound of a leisurely, club-footed gait.
Plumage
A distinctive feature of Agidel ducks is a snow-white feather. There should be no yellow, beige and cream shades in the color, otherwise doubts arise about the thoroughbredness of the breed. This fact is fixed in the cross-country genotype. With the appearance of spots, a set of colors, we are talking about mestizos, representatives of other breeds.
Wings of medium size, white feathers pressed tightly to the body, which allows you to quickly adapt to low temperatures, easier to tolerate cold weather. The thermal properties of feathers are actively used for the production of insulation when sewing clothes, bedding.
Duck character
Agidel ducks are calm and balanced. They slowly move around the compound, rarely quack, without fuss they find food and quickly gain weight. Poultry can be kept in pens and free grazing without fear for the quality of carcasses.
If the duck experiences a sense of anxiety, it begins to grunt violently and for a long time. Calming a bird is not so simple. The breeder should pay attention to this signal and provide timely assistance to the frightened duck.
Agidel ducks behave calmer if there is a pond nearby. Without it, the bird also feels comfortable, but daily needs unhindered access to water to wet its feathers.
Productivity
Duck is a meat breed. Her carcass has an aesthetic appearance (without black stumps), weighs up to 3 kg. At the age of 2 months, the duck clogs. The output is diet meat, rich in protein, vitamins, and useful trace elements.
The female brings posterity 2 times a year. Possessing high fertility, a bird lays up to 250 large, oval eggs per season. The weight of each varies from 80 to 100 g. Raw eggs can not be eaten. It is better to use them in cooking for the preparation of confectionery and baking.
Content Features
Agidel ducks live in houses. In winter, they spend most of the time indoors, in the summer they spend the night, hiding from the intense heat. Mandatory conditions - temperature up to 5 degrees in the cold season and the absence of drafts, especially during the laying of eggs.
In addition to the house, ducks need access to water. Near the premises, install an artificial pond or enclose a natural one, such as a pond or stakes. For water procedures, dig in the ground and fill with water an unnecessary container or an old bath. Alternatively, install a small pool.
Regularly clean the pond and the house, otherwise their inhabitants get sick, infect the entire jamb. Show the bird regularly to the veterinarian, react to the symptoms of duck disease in a timely manner.
What should be the house?
This is a bright room, where 3 adults per 1 square meter. In a closer house, ducks can injure each other, the likelihood of developing infections, diseases of the entire school is high. The optimal size of the nest for 3 individuals is 40x40x35 cm.
Install quality ventilation and a heating element in the house. Air purification helps to get rid of harmful bacteria, minimizes the risk of disease, eliminates gases and the stable smell of birds. The heating element is a stove or heater of your choice, so that the temperature in the room in winter is not lower than 5 degrees.
Pay particular attention to lighting. There should be windows on the south side of the house. Additionally, install bulbs for artificial lighting to extend the duration of daylight hours. Egg production indicators depend on this. Closer to winter, daylight hours last 8-9 hours, gradually increasing to 14 hours.
The house needs a warm floor. Cover the cold planks with peat or sawdust litter, otherwise the duck’s immunity will weaken, the birds will often get sick and die. Change the litter 2 times a year - in spring and autumn. Make sure that it is not wet and dirty.
Before the covering, treat the floor with slaked lime, putty the walls. Such measures are needed to protect against infection.
Care
Ducks are cowardly and wary, they distrust people. You can not scare the birds, otherwise it negatively affects their peace of mind, productivity. Compliance with the rules of care and maintenance of ducks provides high rates of weight gain, egg production.
The duck tolerates temperature differences well, but in the house the optimum temperature should be at least 5 degrees in winter and 17-19 degrees in summer. Ventilate the room daily at any time of the year.
Since ducks have low legs, they often stain white feathers on their chests. In order not to carry pollution into the barn, install an artificial pond in the aviary, where the birds will splash and brush.
Nutrition
Agidel duck is a waterfowl, but there is no need for a natural pond. A small pool in the aviary is enough for the bird to wet the feathers.
The basis of the diet for feeding ducks is whole grain feed, which contribute to the rapid weight gain. High-calorie compound feeds are also useful as an additional source of vitamins, minerals, trace elements.
The menu of birds varies depending on the season. In the summer diet, aquatic vegetation is needed, for example, sedge, reeds. The duck itself finds food on a grazing near a small reservoir. If the bird lives in an aviary, toss it with dried grass.
In winter, ducks do not eat wet food, the basis of the diet is grain, animal feed, high-quality hay. For the prevention of vitamin deficiency, mix dried nettle and shell rock in the food, do not forget about the benefits of mineral supplements. Among them - chalk, meat flour, sand, gravel, salt.
To improve metabolism, improve digestion and increase weight gain, add watermelon and watermelon peel to the duck's diet. If the peel is stiff, grind it before crumbling.
Install drinking bowls near the feeders. Ducks drink after each meal. The water should be clean, regularly refresh the drinker. If algae or mold has appeared on its walls, wash and disinfect. Otherwise, the bird may become ill.
Boiled vegetables are introduced into the duck menu - nutritious and safe for digestion, necessary for weight gain.
Breeding
In ducks, Agidel has a mild maternal instinct. Use an incubator to hatch eggs, otherwise the bird rises from the eggs and they freeze. The fertilization rate is 94%, the ducklings withdrawal is 80%. In order not to reduce these indicators, follow the rules for using the incubator:
- Place fresh eggs in the device without cracks or sagging.
- Control the temperature regime according to the incubation period (37-38 degrees).
- Turn the eggs up to 10 times a day so that the embryo does not stick to the shell and die.
- Maintain humidity in the incubator - 60-70% (for the first week), 45% (for the next three weeks).
- Open the device daily for 10-30 minutes to cool the eggs 2 times a day.
In matters of breeding, our article “Basics of duck egg incubation for beginners” may be useful to you.
Growing ducklings
After hatching ducklings, the first day the lighting should be around the clock, maintain a constant temperature. Keep cubs in a galvanized iron brooder and net. If not, use a cardboard box. Litter should be clean and dry.
It is not easy to catch a duckling in a spacious aviary. Difficulties arise during routine vaccination. Other recommendations for growing ducklings:
- Babies have sharp claws, so they can injure their relatives. To prevent this, control the behavior of the young, cut the claws with scissors.
- If the duckling is injured, urgently treat the sore spot with brilliant green, otherwise a dangerous infection enters the wound, which weak immunity is not able to withstand.
- When feeding, do not scare the chicks with sprinkling of grain, otherwise, from fright, they crash into the wall and die. Therefore, fill the feeder with food even at the entrance to the house / aviary.
- Check that the chicks always have clean water, otherwise digestion is disturbed at first, after the ducklings die.
To prevent intestinal infections, the first month of life, give the kids a decoction of calendula (1 tbsp. L. Raw materials per 1 cup of boiling water). Other nutrition rules for young animals:
- The ideal option is a special starting mixture.
- From a weekly age, introduce oilcake, herbs, chopped grain.
- For bait, use vitamin premixes from rickets, vitamin deficiency, biting.
Starting at the age of one month, release the ducklings for grazing. If the weather allows, it is possible earlier. Make sure that there are no poisonous plants, foreign objects on the lawn, and a little water in the specially prepared container.
When to slaughter
The ideal time for slaughter when the duck is 2 months old. The feather is not fully formed, so plucking the carcass will not be a particular problem. For 1 productive season per year, you can get up to 550 kg of duck meat. The carcass is cleaned and is attractive to buyers, in high demand.
Feather and fluff
Pure white feathers replace swan fluff, which is used for sewing clothes, bedding. Feathers and down are not expensive, but things turn out to be warm and light. In regions with harsh climates, they are actively used.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
Ducks are unpretentious in food, but this is not the only advantage of the Agidel breed. There are other positive aspects in favor of poultry:
- diet meat;
- high value of fluff;
- fast weight gain;
- high egg production;
- stable immunity;
- high fecundity.
The Agidel breed has its drawbacks:
- fatty meat;
- lack of maternal instinct in females;
- the need to purchase an incubator;
- the hectic nature of the chicks.
Cost and where to buy
Agidel ducks attract breeders at an affordable price. You can buy a duckling in any bird market for 100 rubles, an incubation egg for 50 rubles. It is better to buy young animals on farms with a certificate for the breed. Otherwise, a high probability of buying mestizos, and not quality ducks Agidel.
Agidel Duck Farmer Reviews
Ivan, 45 years old, agriculture, Volgograd. I have more than 10 Agidel ducks on the farm. The birds are unpretentious and prolific, but the matter does not go beyond the eggs. The duck does not want to hatch offspring, which I just have not tried. And buying an incubator is expensive and expensive. But I am satisfied with the number of eggs. And for home purposes enough, and for implementation too. So the income is not bad. Carcasses are harder. The meat is specific, and in our economy it does not diverge very much.
Alexey, 47 years old, farmer, Ivanovo. My Agidel didn’t take root. Very restless ducks. They seem to behave calmly, do not attract attention to themselves. As soon as they get scared, hiss and quack for half a day, it’s difficult to calm down. The shortcomings of the breed do not end there. The meat is fat and tight, the eggs do not hatch, catching a duck is generally unrealistic. I suffered from breeding for several months, then scored and do not regret it.
Anna Ivanovna, 52 years old, farmer, Vologda region. Ducks tolerate cold and frost well. The main thing is to insulate the house for the winter and not to create drafts indoors. They rush like in the summer, but the eggs do not hatch. I have to use an incubator. But meat is not too expensive, more eggs are ordered. Ducks rush well. Large eggs, with an orange yolk, give a rich color to pastries and an interesting taste for the dough. Itself was convinced.
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Agidel ducks are popular among Russian breeders, equally distributed throughout the country. They are famous for diet meat and large eggs, high fecundity and a non-conflict nature.